Plate holddown



Feb. 26, 1935. c. J. DUNZWEILER PLATE HOLDDOWN Filed Deo. 21,v 1931 .r.a n. (z .m f uw n n um L N. -wullhl Lm y a M Il@ \\NQ mh H H f ww wPatented Feb. 26, 1935 UNITED 4STAAT ES Oli-FlCll4 V1,992,s 1 7 ,I fH WPLATE HoLpDoWM Cari J. Dunzweiler, Cleveland, Oh'ighassignorto,

VWillard Storage `liattery Company, C1eveland Ohio, a corporation ofWest Virginia Y Application December 21, 1931,1Ser1ia1lNo.582,218

7 Claims.

.This invention relates to improvements ,in l,

platesgoneA positive and one vnegativaithe plates i of each group beinguconnected to a strap from which terminal course, stands crosswise, oi,`the elementy andis usually located quite near one end thereof, andadjacent an end wall of the cell. The post, being,rnounted in the cellcover, servesto hold down the corresponding strap and the plates of thatgroup, at its` end of the cell, but at the other ,endzoi the cell inbatteries as heretofore constructed, there is nothing to prevent theplatesfrom tilting upwardly, as they will` do under some conditions ofuse, and iinally making contact with the strap of vthe other group,which results in a complete shortcircuiting of the cell. V

The primary yobject of `the present invention is the provision ci meansfor preventing such tilting4v movement of the plates.

A secondary object is the provision of means for, taking some of thestrains which would V1.othlerir/ise be imposed upon the terminal postsan `associated. parts in a vehicle storagebattery.4

Other objects and features oi novelty will, ap-

pearkasl proceed with the description pof that `embcdiment of theinvention which, iorMthe purposes of the present application, I haveillus- `the raccompanying drawing, in which..

Figure l is an elevational viewfoi a battery element embodying theinvention, vthe battery ycon't'amer within which it is mounted,- beinshown in verticale section. Y

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the sa-mepthc batteryV container beingshown in transverse vertical section taken substantially alongthe line2"-2 of Fig. 1, and

Figs.V 3 and e are detail perspective viewsof the gholddownsfor groupsof platesof `opposite polarity. in a rive-plate cell.

I` have illustrated the invention herein as ap,- ,plied lto a three-cellbattery of the type com monly. used in motorcycles. The invention isparticularly desirable for batteries of this kind, inasmuch as they arecalled upon to withstand strains andshocks o1" considerable magnitude.It is,`however, useful in batteries employed for other purposes.

Int/he drawing the container of the battery is ,shownat 10. Atits upperedge it israbbeted` tolprovidean. encircling rib` 11 which is straddledi byjaA pair, .of ribs12 andv 13 onv a multiple1 cell cover-14, thecover being lprovided also. with grooves" 15 fory the reception ofpartitions 16. The cover and container may be sealed together withYsuitable cement in the usual mianner. Above the cover 14 I may use afurther dust cap The strap, of.

wins-s1 orcover. 1'?.v l8land.19 are connectors. which extend through.the. cover-14 at opposite ends thereof, and attached to the terminals ofthe battery. f

The battery. element in each cell comprises a certainnumber ofpositiveand .a certain num- `ber of negative plates". the positive'plates` rp in theprese-nt instance being .connected tov gether .ingroups by .straps '20, andthe negative `plates 11, by straps .21, fromwhich rise integral terminal posts 22 and 23 respectively. The l platesrest upon ribs 24 molded ontolthecontainerY bottom; Between adjacentpositiveland negative plates are` separators `25, which .exs

tendlaterally somewhat beyond thesid edges...` of theplates, asindicatedin Fig. 1.. The ver-"l ticalgdirnension of the .separators issuch thatvv their upper edges icome almost-.to the lowersurfacesofthestrapsZO and2l when the separatorsare lushwith theloweredges of the plates.

The hold-down meansfor the .two groups of plates are shownin detailinFigs. 3 and .4 for battery elements. comprising three .plates of `onepolarity and two .platesof the. other. polarity. It

will ybe understood ,that when a greater or lesser number of plates.;are,employed, the hold-down means will vary...accordingly. yThe`hold-down means of Fig.,3, intendedior `the group` of nega@ tiveplates, includes three rectangular piecesy 26 of stiff insulationmateralspaced apart and joinedV together bya memberZZ. The parts26 and-27 arepreferably integral, and may. be molded of hard rubbergprV other.`suitable sti insulation materialfcapableof withstandingthe chemicalVThe'. `other .hold-down4 means shown Fig. 4 iorrthecgroup: of positive`plates includes two rectangular insulation. .piecesf action. of theelectrolyte.

28spaced and `joined together bya member 29. The spacing.. ofthepieces28 is the same asthat-of` the pieces 26, that is to say theyare spaced suficiently in bothinstances to' accommodate one plateandtwoseparators.'` Y l When .the .batteryL element; is otherwise as-vsembled,ther insulation pieces 26 are pushed into,y

the spacesbetyveen thestrap Vv andthelupper edges oi lthe :negative--plates n, the member 27, thereby moving intopositon in theangle.between the Strap 20.,.and theupper. edges Offtheseparators.,

25,l Atthe ,other end of the .element the-pieces 281` arecausedto enterthespaces between the` irommovement inwardlyby the strapsand sinceVAthyabui against thelstraps l.20 01221, as the case ,y

may be.,yVhiQlr` are held down joy,` the ,terminal posts, they serve topositively prevent` upward movement of the free ends of the plateseither singly or in groups.

Thermembers 2'7 and 29 are preferably of a width to bridge almostcompletely the spaces between the straps 20 and 21 and the end walls oithe cells, and thereby serve to prevent thel straps 20 and V21 frommoving outwardly. In other words the battery elements are locked againstmovement in their own planes in one direction by the pieces 26 and 28and in the other direction by the'members 27 and 29, and the terminalposts 22 and 23 are thereby relieved of some oi the strains to whichthey might otherwise be subjected.' The principal function of thehold-downs however is of course the prevention of short-circuits such aswould occur if the free ends of the plates tilted upwardly untilcontact-was had with the strap of the other group, and to preventshortcircuiting where a break in a plate takes place and the upper partof the plate only tends to tilt upwardly.

In the foregoing description I have necessarily gone somewhat intodetail in order to explain fully the particular embodiments of theinvention herein illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that suchdetailed disclosures are not to be construed as amounting tolimitations, except as they may be included in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: 1; A storage batteryelement, comprising a group of positive plates joined by a strap, and agroup of negative plates joined by a strap, said two groups of platesbeing interleaved, separatorsinterposed between'adjacent positive andnegative plates, and pieces of insulation of the same thicknessapproximatelyY as the said plates interu posed between the plates of onegroup and the strap of the other group, said insulation pieces beingVcarried by said separators.

2. A storage battery element comprising a group or" positive platesjoined by a strap and a group of negative plates joined by a strap, saidtwo groups of plates being interleaved, separators interposed betweenadjacentpositive and negative plates, Vsaid separators projectinglaterally beyond said straps, pieces of insulation of the same thicknessapproximately as the said plates interposed between adjacent separatorsabove the plates and below the strap adjacent theretov torspace vtheplates away from the adjacent strap,

and a member joining said insulation pieces, said member lying in theangle formed betweenV the outer side of the strap and the upper edges ofthe separators. Y Y

:3.In a storage battery, a battery container, a battery 4element mountedtherein comprising a group of positive plates joined by a strap and agroup Yof negative plates joined by a strap, said two groups of platesbeing interleaved, separators interposed between adjacent positive andnegative plates, pieces of. insulation of the same thicknessapproximately as the said plates interposed be-Y tween adjacentseparators above the plates andY below the strap adjacent thereto tospace the latter away from the adjacent strap, and a member joining saidinsulation pieces, said Vmember lying in the angle formed betweenthe'upper side of the strap andthe upper edges of the separatorsandextending from the strap approximately to the inner wall of thecontaine Y 4. A Y storage battery Y element comprising a group cipositiveplates joined by a strap and a group of negative plates joinedby a strap, said two groupsof plates being interleaved, separato-rsinterposed between adjacent positive and negative plates, pieces ofinsulation of the same thickness approximately as said platesinterposedbetween adjacent separators above the vplates and below the strapsadjacentV thereto to space the plates of one group away from the strapof the other group, said pieces of insulation extending laterally beyondthe vadjacent strap, and a pair of members arranged above the separatorsto one side of the adjacent straps, each of said members joining theinsulation pieces at that end of the element, whereby their displacementduring the use of the battery is prevented.

5. In a storage battery, the combination of a container provided with acell compartment, a plurality of positive and negative platesalternately arranged in said compartment, separators interposed betweenadjacent plates, straps at opposite ends oi said compartment andconnected to extensions on the upper edges of said positive and negativeplates respectively to form posi- Vtive and negative groups with thestrap of one container having a cell compartment, aY plurality ofpositive and negative plates alternatelyy arranged in said cellcompartment, separators interposed between adjacent plates, straps atopposite ends of said compartment connected to the upper edge oi saidpositive and negative plates respectively, to form positive andnegative` groups with the straps of one group extending over the freeends or" a plurality of plates of the other group but spaced therefrom,insulation members having portions thereof underlying said straps andpositioned adjacent'the end Ywallsof said compartment, each of saidmembers being provided with downwardly extending projections overlyingthe upper edges of a plurality of plates oi the other group whereby Vtheplates of oneY group are held spaced from the straprof the other group;Y C

Y7. In a storage battery, the combination of a container having aYcellcompartrnent, a plurality of positive and negative platesalternately arranged in said compartment, separators interposed betweenadjacent plates, straps at opposite of said compartment connected to theupper edges of said positive and negative plates respectively, to 'fornopositive and negative groups with the straps of one group extending overthe free ends of a plurality of plates of the other group but spacedtherefrom, an insulation niernbers positioned between said straps andthe adjacent walls of said compartment, said members being provided with4a pluralityjoi projections each approximateiy the width of one of saidpla es extending underneath the adjacentstrap and above the upper edgesVof the plates of the othergroup whereby the plates of one group areheld spaced from the strap of the other group. CARL J. DUNZWEILER.

